Significant Events – April 30, 2016

Strong aftershocks continue to rattle Vanuatu

Latest Events [USGS/EHP]

• M5.1 (16.262°S, 167.205°E) 27km SW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu 2016-04-30 09:26:30 UTC; depth=12.1km
• M4.7 28km SW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu 2016-04-30 08:45:57 UTC 7.3 km
• M6.0 (16.306°S, 167.188°E) 32km SW of Lakatoro, Vanuatu 2016-04-30 08:35:42 UTC; depth=4.8km
• M5.0 31km SW of Norsup, Vanuatu 2016-04-30 04:38:28 UTC; depth=10.0km
• M4.8 48km W of Norsup, Vanuatu 2016-04-29 22:50:14 UTC;depth=19.3km

Philippines: Drought and dry spells [OCHA]

Some 42 per cent of the Philippines is currently experiencing drought or dry spells brought on by El Niño effect. As of 15 April, 39 provinces, cities, municipalities and villages have declared a state of calamity. The worst affected areas are Mindanao and the Visayas regions. According to UN OCHA, around 181,687 farmers and 224,834 hectares of agricultural land have been affected since January 2016. Already, an estimated CHF 81 million in agricultural production has been lost. Rainfall for March was again well below normal.

Most of the affected areas are in Mindanao. According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), as of April 16, a total of 457,497 families or 2,124,790 persons from Regions NCR, I, II, III, IV-A, IV-B, VI, VII, X, XI, XII, and ARMM have been affected by El Nino.